MEDIA REACTION: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: MEXICAN PRESIDENTIAL

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000741 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD DEPT PASS USTR USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: MEXICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS; EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC: DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM, MISSILE LAUNCHING; SAO PAULO ¶1. "Fires That The US Dreamed Of Extinguishing Are Multiplying" Center-right O Estado de S. Paulo Paris correspondent Giles Lapouge underscored (7/7): "The war in Iraq has proved to all unruly, rebelling or messianic nations that they will never be safe from the US's wrath. The only way to prevent the US from going to war is the possession of arms of mass destruction. Since the catastrophe in Iraq the nuclear bomb has been seen throughout the Middle East as the only protection of weak nations against the US. This is one of the reasons for the North Korean missile tests. It is also the reason that pushes a more dangerous and fearful nation than North Korea, Iran, to develop nuclear weapons against everyone's will.... The US is at the limit of its intervention capability. Not only because its troops are exhausted, but because the fires Washington dreamed of extinguishing have multiplied and are threatening regions that the US thought it could save.... This is how one can explain the US's prudence and apathy before the small and ragged North Korea. The US seems unable to add to its ruinous expeditions in Iraq and Afghanistan an even limited blow against the tiny North Korea." ¶2. "Disturbed Elections" Liberal, largest national circulation daily Folha de S. Paulo (7/7) editorialized: "The political situation in Mexico continues to be confusing after the general elections. The recounting of votes gave the victory to government-supported candidate Felipe Calderon by a less than one percent advantage over leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has made accusations of fraud and promised to question the returns in court. It is a scenario that resembles very much George W. Bush's disturbed election in 2000.... Obrador has reasons to fear fraud. It was frequent during the 70-year period of PRI's (Institutional Revolutionary Party) dominance.... Now, however, there has been no apparent massive adulteration of votes. There were hundreds of international observers and they did not notice suspicious moves. What happened were basic mistakes involving lack of transparency by IFE (Federal Electoral Institute). Because of such mistakes, the process lost credibility." ¶3. "Mexico's Unstable Transition Towards Democracy" Business-oriented Valor Economico (7/7) remarked: "Mexico is living an unstable transition stage between a septuagenarian dictatorship of a single party and a full democracy with strong parties. The process began with President Vicente Fox's election in 2000, but is experiencing an impasse shown in Felipe Calderon's tight and controversial victory.... While the shadows of political gangsterism are disappearing from the Mexican political scene, many sensitive questions remain. More that 50 million Mexicans live below the poverty line near the world's richest nation.... Mexico has a low inflation rate, but it is no longer growing. The legion of Mexicans crossing the borders looking for jobs - as well as the US increasing truculence searching mechanisms to stop them - demonstrates that the nation's serious problems were not resolved with Nafta." McMullen